Forget those commercial pest control products. They are expensive, often dangerous to the user, and environmentally unfriendly. Our forefathers used natural products and methods to control pests effectively, which are kind to the environment. Try these.

Tired of ants invading your kitchen? Well first of all, don’t send them an open invitation! Put sugar, honey, jam and other sweet things in sealed containers. Clean up counters and tables so no sticky surfaces lure ants. Don’t let your kids carry snacks around where crumbs and jam can drop inviting ants.

Next leave out things ants don’t like.

Ants don’t like cucumber and they have an aversion to mint. Leave out cucumber peel or slices, fresh mint, cotton balls soaked in pure peppermint or mint teabags. Ants will feel unwelcome.

If you leave small hills of cornmeal where you saw ants, they will carry it home. Since ants cannot digest the cornmeal, so it will kill them.

You can also make your own ant bait by using a teaspoon of boric acid and six tablespoons of sugar. Dissolve these solids on two cups of water. Soak cotton balls in this liquid and leave out where you saw the ants. Be sure to keep your ant bait away from the kids and dogs as it can irritate their eyes.

No one likes to have those blood sucking disease-causing mosquitoes around. Here are some ways to get rid of these insect pests:

Make mosquitoes unwelcome by cleaning up stagnant and still water. These are mosquito breeding grounds. Don’t provide inviting breezy areas for mosquitoes. Close windows and doors on the breezy side of your house—particularly in early morning and early evening.

Plant some plants that are uninviting to mosquitoes. Good ones include catnip, rosemary, citronella, lemon balm, nasturtiums, and marigolds.

Make your own insect repellant by mixing 1 tablespoon of garlic juice with five tablespoons of water in a spray bottle. Spray on exposed skin before going outside. Dip cloth strips in this mixture and hang in your patio. Mosquitoes will stay away for at least five hours.

Throw some rosemary or sage on BBQ coals to keep mosquitoes away from your BBQ party—and make the patio smell nice to boot!

If you are into discovering new pets put up purple marten houses or build bat houses. Both of these creatures catch thousands of mosquitoes each day. They are entertaining to watch swooping around too.

Add a few drops of Neem Oil (a product of India) to lotion for a natural insecticide.

If you are sitting outside, give your patio ambience and chase away insects by lighting scented candles you made yourself. Simply add an ounce of essential oil to a pound of melted wax. Good choices are cedar, citronella, lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, cloves, or peppermint.

Do you hate flies buzzing around your backyard BBQ? Create sachets of mint, bay leaf, clove, or eucalyptus in your house or patio to deter these visitors. Make your own anti-fly planter filled with basil. If you leave bunches of basil around the patio or picnic area flies will stay away.